Life Without Gabe
by J.N. Rynn
Summary: We all know Percy hated Gabe Ugliano, especially after finding out Gabe hit his mom. What if he had found out earlier? Rated T just to be safe.
1. Gabe's Downfall

**I've had my minor fanfiction-writing urges before, but this one spawned a story that I thought was pretty interesting. Hope you guys like it. Reviews really help me stay writing (I've abandoned quite a few stories over the past few years…) so it'd be really cool if you reviewed. **

**This story will have quite a few time skips that won't be completely defined in the story. I'll try to put how long it's been since the last chapter in these author's notes at the top.**

**Disclaimer for whole story since I really don't feel like typing one of these for every single chapter: Don't own anything, except maybe parts of the plot in the story. Other parts will be drawn from the books we all know too well ;) **

**Prologue: Gabe's Downfall**

Percy was six. He had actually already been six for a little less than a month, but Gabe ruined his actual birthday. Gabe had trashed all of Sally's attempts at making Percy's birthday a good memory for the six year old, demanding Sally make him, not that "stupid little brat," happy. Today, however, for the first time in months, Gabe had been called into work. Sally was determined to make up Percy's birthday, even if it was almost a month late. It was a school day, so Percy wouldn't be out of school until four. But Gabe was at work, and the few times Gabe went to work, he usually had to stay until it was well past nine. That gave Sally the entire evening to celebrate her son's birthday. She decided to hold the party at her own workplace, Sweet on America, for two reasons: to save money (Gabe would notice if a large amount of money was suddenly spent) and to make sure no traces of the party were left for Gabe to find (he would definitely find them if the party was held in their apartment).

When it was almost four, Sally left for Percy's school, walking the two blocks between her workplace and her son's school. He was only in kindergarten, but things weren't looking too good. His teacher had told her many times that Percy often acted out. Sally knew that Percy always meant well, but his ADHD and dyslexia often made school unbearable for him. Still, his mom hoped that he could somehow fit in—she wanted Percy to be able to live a normal life for as long as possible, even if that meant having to deal with Gabe. When she arrived at the elementary school, she was able to spot Percy immediately. When his sea green eyes noticed her, they lit up. He ran towards her, almost tripping over his own feet in the process.

"Mommy!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "What are you doing here?" Usually, Percy had to ride the bus back to their apartment alone. It wasn't every day he saw his mom waiting outside his school.

"Today," Sally replied, "is going to be your make-up birthday!" Percy blinked, surprised. "I know Gabe made a huge mess out of your real birthday, so I want to celebrate it again, just the two of us."

"Really?" Percy asked. Sally nodded. The six year old smiled widely before shouting, "YAY!" His mom laughed before taking his hand.

"Come on, we're celebrating at Sweet on America," she said. Percy grinned. He had a huge sweet tooth. He suddenly frowned, stopping in his tracks.

"Where's Gabe?" he asked. "He won't come and ruin everything again, will he?" Percy looked up at his mom with sad eyes.

"No," Sally said, shaking her head, "Gabe has work today. He won't be home until late." At that, Percy lit up again, happily chattering away with his mom about how school had been that day.

Percy's birthday party went off without a hitch. The little boy enjoyed himself immensely, stuffing his face with cake, ice cream, and lots of candy. He even got presents! His favorites were the brand new basketball from his mom's coworker, Jessica, and the big book about the ocean from his mom. After eating the pizza dinner, Sally noticed the clock. It was already eight—they needed to get home soon, before Gabe returned and noticed their absence.

"Honey, aren't you tired? Let's go home," Sally said, taking Percy's hand. His eyes widened and he shook his head frantically. His mouth was full of candy, so he couldn't voice his opinion. Sally sighed. "I'm sorry honey, but it's getting really late, and Gabe's about to get home. You know how Gabe is." Eyes downcast, Percy pouted. But he didn't protest as his mother pulled him towards the door. Turning towards her coworker, Sally said, "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry I have to go without cleaning up. I'll be back to pick up the presents and things during work tomorrow."

"It's all right. Besides, today you're a customer, not a worker, right? Even if on discount, you paid for this birthday party in full. I'll put the presents and leftovers in the back for you," Jessica replied, smiling.

"Once again, thank you!" Sally said, before exiting her workplace.

By the time they got back, it was past nine. Sally's heart quickened as she unlocked the door, opening it slowly. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the darkness that enveloped the apartment. Turning on the light, she nearly screamed when she saw Gabe Ugliano sitting at the kitchen table, glaring at her with his beady eyes.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice seemingly calm. Sally blanched.

"I was working overtime," she replied, trying to act composed. His eyes narrowed, skimming over to Percy, who was hiding behind his mother's leg.

"Liar," he roared. All semblance of calmness was gone from his voice, and he got up from the kitchen table, moving more quickly than Sally ever thought he could. Grabbing her arm fiercely, he growled, "Why is the brat with you then? Surely if you were working overtime, you hadn't the time to go pick him up from school." Sally knew there was no hope of salvation.

"Percy, go to your room," she said calmly. The six year old looked scandalized, not wanting to leave his mom with the monster, but a stern gaze from his mom sent him bounding towards his room.

Though his mom told him to go to his room, she never told him to close the door, so Percy peeked out from inside his room, horrified at the yelling and screaming that was going on. Smelly Gabe's hand rose, striking his mom across the cheek. Percy froze. Smelly Gabe hit his mom. He _hit_ his mom. He felt his fears leave him as he ran towards his mom, desperate to save her from this monster. He jumped at Gabe, a blur of fists and yelling, but his efforts were little more than an annoyance to Gabe.

Tired of dealing with the little brat, Gabe lifted his foot and kicked the rascal so hard he flew across the room, hitting the cupboards on the opposite end of the tiny kitchen. Sally was horrified, starting towards her son, but Gabe wasn't done with her yet. He lifted a fist and was about to strike her again, when the fire sprinklers suddenly went off, drenching the apartment and its residents in strangely salty water.

Percy's vision had been clouded by pain, but as the water poured, he felt a strange burst of power come from within him. He got on his feet, jumping at Smelly Gabe. Percy didn't know how he did it, but he managed to deliver a kick to Gabe's head, knocking the man out instantly. The water stopped, and Percy fell forward, unconscious.

When Percy woke up, he leapt to his feet, remembering the events of the night before. But he was in his room, and everything seemed normal. Walking to the kitchen, Percy was mystified to see the kitchen in perfect working order. Everything was working perfectly, completely dry, nothing broken. Had last night been a dream? Even Gabe acted as if nothing had happened—as if Percy's foot hadn't connected with the back of his head the night before. But then Percy saw his mom. She had bruises everywhere. A large purple bruise was on her left cheek, and there were several more on her arms. But she acted completely normal, as if it never happened.

Percy went to school in complete agony. He didn't pay attention in class—his ADHD caused his mind to drift elsewhere. Then, he was asked to read the word on the board, and he turned bright read as he failed to do so. The boy sitting next to him proceeded to make fun of him, and all the negative feelings Percy felt seemed to explode inside him, as he tackled the other boy. The teacher managed to pull Percy off, before taking him outside into the hallway, leaving the teacher's assistant to deal with the rest of the class.

"Percy," his teacher said slowly, sighing, "why did you tackle Jonathan?" Percy looked away, embarrassed that he attacked the other boy. "You've been acting up an awful lot! What's wrong, Percy? Why do you do things like this?" Percy wanted to say that it wasn't his fault—that he had ADHD and he couldn't help it—but he knew his teacher was already aware of that and to his teacher, it wasn't a valid excuse. Instead, he let out the thoughts that had been plaguing him all day.

"Gabe hit my mom," he blurted. His teacher's eyes widened. "Gabe hit my mom, and she acts like it never happened. He acts like it never happened. But it did! It did," he said, looking up into his teacher's eyes. His eyes were pleading, as if he desperately wanted someone to believe him.

"Is Gabe your stepfather?" his teacher asked. Percy nodded, blinking back tears. "Come with me." Percy was led by his teacher to an office, where she called someone on the phone. A little while later, the police came to school and began to talk to him, asking him questions about what happened. Something told Percy not to tell about how the water turned on in his apartment and how Percy managed to knock Gabe out. Instead, he just told them that he saw Gabe hitting his mother as he hid in his room. After that, the police called his mother at Sweet on America, and soon, she was there as well.

Sally arrived with several layers of makeup on her face to try to conceal the bruise that covered her left cheek. When she heard about what Percy told the police, she panicked. She hated Gabe as much as Percy did, but if Gabe was taken away, Percy would have to leave! Percy had been living with Gabe for a little over two years now, but the incredibly human stench that Gabe spawned would only last a year at max in his absence. How was she going to manage without him? These thoughts swam her mind as she tried her best to deny what Percy told the police.

However, Percy was indignant that his mom wouldn't tell the police the truth, and pulled up her jacket sleeve. The bruises lining her arms were revealed, and Sally knew there was no way back. She knew that if she continued denying the truth, the police would take custody of Percy from her because she wouldn't be considered a "suitable" parent. So she caved in. She told stories of how Gabe had abused her. She cried, saying that she hadn't said anything because she was scared. The police wouldn't know that she wasn't scared of Gabe, however. They would never know that she was scared to lose her son. They wouldn't understand. Later that day, Gabe was arrested. A few weeks later, they were officially divorced, and Gabe was sent to jail, and even when he'd get out, he had a restraining order put against him. Sally and Percy never saw Gabe again.


	2. Learning and Leaving

**Takes place about a year after the last chapter (though I actually managed to weave that into the story this time). Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Learning and Leaving**

It had been a year since Gabe left their lives, and Percy couldn't be happier. Sally had also been quite happy after Gabe's departure, but recently, she seemed incredibly sad. Percy didn't understand why his mom was so depressed, but really strange things had been happening as of late. A strange man, for instance, had stopped by his elementary school during recess, seeming quite intrigued by Percy. That wasn't what unnerved Percy though—it was the fact that this man seemed to only have one eye. Other strangers had also been plaguing the seven year old. Recently, a middle-aged man in a wheel chair took over for Percy's first grade teacher, and he also seemed rather interested in Percy. He told Percy his name was Mr. Brunner. Percy's mom seemed unnerved by the new teacher, but trusted him well enough. She often talked to Mr. Brunner in hushed tones while Percy was around, causing him to become suspicious. One day, on a field trip, everything changed.

Mr. Brunner had taken his first grade class to the zoo. Percy accidentally forgot his lunch bag at another exhibit, so he left to go get it. As he bent down to retrieve the lunch bag, a large black animal suddenly tackled him out of nowhere. After rolling a couple feet, Percy scrambled to his feet in surprise. A large, black hound stood in front of him, growling ferociously, ready to pounce. Suddenly, everything seemed to go into slow motion. Mr. Brunner also came out of nowhere, tossing Percy a ball point pen. The seven year old wanted to yell, "How is a pen going to help me in this situation?" But as he caught the pen, it turned into a bronze sword. The hound leapt and Percy instinctively raised the sword, slashing at the animal before it could sink its long claws and fangs into him. It exploded into dust. Mr. Brunner wheeled over to Percy, face grim. Suddenly, the sword was a pen again.

"What's happening?" Percy asked, confused. Mr. Brunner didn't answer, simply taking the boy back to the group of first graders. He didn't say anything to Percy until the end of the day, when everyone was waiting for their parents to pick them up. Percy was one of the last ones to leave—his mother was probably running late with work. When there were barely any kids left, Mr. Brunner wheeled over to Percy, who was sitting on the curb in front of the zoo, still clutching the pen that had turned into a sword earlier.

"Percy," he began, "I'm afraid that you might not be able to stay with your mother much longer." Percy blinked in surprise before giving him an indignant look.

"What do you mean? I have to leave my mom? And why didn't you answer earlier when I asked about that weird dog? What's happening?" the first grader spouted the string of questions that he clearly had been holding in the whole day. His teacher glanced around. The other children were playing on the other side of the parking lot—they weren't within hearing distance.

"Percy, I think you may have realized this, but you've been catching the attention of too many strangers recently, no?" Percy's eyes widened. How had his teacher known? "Look, maybe you thought this was somewhat normal—even when your stepfather was around, you had one or two strangers become intrigued by you every year, no? But recently, it's been over the top. Strangers almost everywhere flock to you. And then, today, that hellhound attacked you." Percy was unnerved by how well his teacher knew his life. Then he realized that he referred to the dog that attacked him as a hellhound.

"A hellhound? Is that what that strange black dog was?" Percy asked. Mr. Brunner nodded.

"It was a monster, Percy," he said gravely. "The human stench that your stepfather secreted was very powerful—it managed to persist almost a year in his absence. However, it's almost gone. Monsters are becoming more aware of you. Because of who your father was, it doesn't matter much that you are unaware of your lineage. That is why I cannot hesitate to tell you that you are, indeed, a demigod." Percy's eyes widened.

"A demigod?" he echoed. "Like in those stories you tell us? Like Hercules?"

"Yes. And from what your mother has told me, you are the son of Poseidon," his teacher said. "My name is actually Chiron. I am, though I may not look it now, a centaur. I am here to…help you. Now that a hellhound was able to sniff out your godly side, most other monsters will be able to soon, too. Unless you want your mother to get caught up in this, I best suggest you leave."

"Leave?" Percy said. "But…where would I go?" Chiron sighed.

"Here's the tough part. Usually, I'd advise you to go to Camp Half-Blood, where the half-blood sanctuary is supposed to be. However, your circumstances of birth…" Chiron trailed off, "Zeus and Hades—especially Hades—would best be left oblivious to your existence, for as long as possible. Unfortunately, if you go to Camp Half-Blood, that would be nearly impossible. Hades would send the worst monsters to torment you. My best advice would be, honestly, to run away and stay on the road." Percy blanched.

"But…how would I be able to survive?" he asked, his voice a near whisper.

"You'd have to fight monsters like the hellhound you just fought," Chiron warned. "You'd have to win, too. It'd be a rough life. But it'd be safer than the alternative—staying in the same place. If you stay in the same place, Hades would soon know from his monsters of your existence. If you stay moving, he may not realize that there indeed exists a child of Poseidon." Seeing the first grader's scared face, Chiron's tone softened. "Percy, it's probably going to be very hard, but if you don't do this, your mother will probably get caught in one of your battles against a monster. She could get very hurt." Hearing this, Percy's resolve steeled. He'd do it, for his mother. To protect her. "You don't have to do this completely alone, either. While you're travelling, look for a girl and boy, a few years older than you. The girl…well, she's in a similar predicament to yours, and being together would probably strengthen your chances of survival."

"She's on the run for the same reason as me?" Percy asked. Chiron nodded.

"I've known of her existence for a while now, but I've sent no one to retrieve her as of yet, though I've sent…gifts. For now, it's safer this way. You would probably be able to attend Camp Half-Blood after you were found out—if you survived Hades' wrath. Hades would release his anger in one, concentrated attack, and if you managed to survive that, his anger would probably be quelled—at least to the point where you wouldn't be in danger of having hundreds of monsters attack you at once," Chiron stated. "You're much better at sword fighting than the average demigod, Percy. Uncap that pen, and it will be a sword called Anaklusmos—it's a gift from your father. Your chances of survival are higher than most in your situation, especially since you'd likely find sanctuary in any place with water." Percy trembled.

"When should I leave?" he asked, not wanting to know the answer. Chiron sighed.

"Honestly? You should probably leave as soon as possible. You can go home tonight—it's not likely another monster will attack today. Tomorrow morning, however, you should leave your mom a goodbye note that explains what you know now. She'll understand," Chiron replied. Seeing the young boy's eyes water, Chiron tried to reassure him. "You'll see her again if you leave. Hades will probably find out soon, and once you reach Camp Half-Blood, you'll probably be able to live with her again and just go to camp during the summers. This really won't be goodbye. But you probably won't be able to contact her during your run. You have to stay away from technology. It will send up red flags to every monster in the area. Do you understand everything I've said?"

"Yes," Percy replied. His resolve steeled. He would run away tomorrow morning, leaving his mom a note. It was for her, he reminded himself. He had to. Otherwise, his mother could get attacked by a monster that was after him.

That night, Percy spent as much time as he could with his mother, trying to please her in every way possible. It was going to be the last night she saw him for a while, after all. He had to make it a happy memory. When he went to sleep, he thought of his father. The smile and warm glow that he remembered—had his father visited him as a toddler? Somehow, that warm glow enveloped him, and his worries about how he was going to manage slowly slipped away as he drifted off in peaceful slumber.


	3. Gaining Comrades

**Thank you so much to my reviewers! You really do keep my writing spirits up. In response to tinker-fairy: **

**I think coworker can be spelled both ways—it just depends on where you're from. I've always spelled it without a dash, and in some dictionaries it has one, while in others it doesn't. I'm thinking Chiron wouldn't be able to keep the secret for long—not with Athena's children at camp, anyways. Annabeth was able to deduce Percy's godly parentage before he got claimed in the first book (even if it was right before). Though I'm making it so that Percy's water powers aren't incredibly strong as of yet (he's only seven, after all), I think Chiron decided that Percy had a better shot at being undiscovered if he stayed on the run. A seven year old at Camp Half-Blood would raise suspicions—Annabeth was the youngest camper ever when she arrived. The others would probably wonder why Percy needed to go to camp so early, and that might lead to him being discovered. At this point in the timeline, Thalia has been on the run for nearly 2 years without being discovered as Zeus's child. Thus, Chiron probably thought it would be safer for Percy to go and stay on the run. **

**Takes place a couple of months after the last chapter. Percy has been travelling on foot along the east coast, fighting monsters all the way down. Poseidon has been guiding him through a few dreams and messages, causing him to discover a few more of his powers. I've referenced Annabeth's meeting with Thalia and Luke as happening a few days in the past, so if you want to brush up on that it's in TLO Chapter Nine. A summary of the meeting is also available on Annabeth's page on the Camp Half-Blood Wiki.**

**Chapter 2: Gaining Comrades**

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth crept through the woods, trying not to attract any attention. They'd stayed in the Chesapeake Bay area for a few days now—Annabeth was still new at this "on the run" thing, and Thalia and Luke wanted her to be comfortable with the two of them before they started moving at their regular pace. Now, it was getting dangerous for them to stay near the area for any longer. Monsters were becoming more common by the hour. The longer they stayed, the stronger the smell of demigod that was permeating the air would become. They were only making one last pit stop at their James River safe house to get supplies before they left. As they approached the river, however, the trio suddenly stopped, shivers going down their backs. They all sensed the presence of a nearby monster. A strong one.

"There," Luke whispered, motioning towards a large monster with the face of a human, the body of a lion, and a deadly looking spiky tail. A manticore. He gripped his sword, tensing. Thalia nodded, about to give the signal to attack. However, someone else came into their view as the manticore twisted backwards. A boy, practically the same size as Annabeth, was striking at the beast with a sword. _The manticore twisted to dodge the blows_, Thalia realized. The boy's clothes—a blue t-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts—were tattered. His mop of black hair was blowing in the wind wildly as he agilely dodged the manticore's counterattack. He then resumed his own attack. Every time he managed to push the monster back, he turned to rush towards the river, making Thalia wonder if he had a boat or some other means of escape there. The manticore seemed to notice this habit, and when the boy managed to get to the river bank, the beast feigned a retreat, stepping back. The minute he turned to run into the river, the manticore struck. The spiky, poisonous tail successfully impaled the leg of the boy before withdrawing behind its owner.

At this point, Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth were about to rush the hundred feet or so between them and the boy, but suddenly, the river water quaked, and a shaky wave rose out of the water, like a mini tsunami wave. The boy whipped around to face the monster as the wave picked him up and hurled him at it. With one decisive strike across the beast's chest, the manticore exploded into dust. The boy looked tired enough to collapse, but with a sense of purpose, he used his sword as a crutch for his injured leg to get to the river. Once there, he gently lowered himself into the water, and suddenly his sword was gone. He then repositioned himself so that he was sitting up, half submerged in the river. Though he was breathing hard and seemed to be in extreme pain, he was completely alert, as if he expected to be attacked by another monster any minute.

"Is he like us, too?" Annabeth asked, even though she knew the answer to that question. Over the past few days, Thalia and Luke had taught her about why the monsters attacked her. Annabeth had taken it rather well, to their surprise. She had been guided by her mother in dreams and messages up until she met them, after all, and she had her suspicions about her mother being a supernatural being. It also explained a lot. Why not believe in demigods when you'd been attacked by monsters? All the regular rules were thrown out the window once you were the prey of harpies and hellhounds.

"Shouldn't we go say…hello?" Thalia asked. Annabeth and Luke agreed, and they cautiously approached the little warrior who managed to slay the manticore. When they got within hearing distance, the boy sensed their presence and immediately turned towards them, on guard.

"Who…who are you?" he asked warily. Quickly glancing down at the injury he sustained, he grimaced. If these people were enemies, he'd be at a severe disadvantage. An injury this bad would probably take several hours of water to heal. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth approached so that he could see them more clearly. Now there were only a few feet between them.

"I'm Thalia, this is Luke, and that's Annabeth," Thalia replied, motioning at herself and her comrades. "We're…" Thalia suspected the boy might be like Annabeth had been—clueless about his godly parent—so she finished, "we're monster fighters, too."

"I'm Percy," he said, eyes widening. "Do you mean demigods?" Thalia and Luke looked at each other in surprise. Percy actually knew about his lineage? Why hadn't he gone to Camp Half-God, or whatever it was called, then?

"Yeah, we do," Luke responded. "Percy, where's your family?" This was the second kid they found on the streets. Either families were becoming more hostile towards demigods or something was wrong. At the mention of family, Percy blinked, hard. He suppressed the tears that threatened to form.

"I ran away, to protect my mom," he replied, his voice a near whisper. "The monsters were noticing me, and it wasn't safe for me to be around her anymore." This surprised the trio of runaways. So Percy actually came from a family that loved him.

"Since you can't be with your mom anymore, why not come with us?" Thalia suggested. "You're pretty good with that sword of yours, from what I can tell."

"Um…I would love to join you guys. But I can't literally come with you right now…" Percy looked down at his wound. Annabeth started.

"You should get out of the water," she exclaimed. "Your wound could get infected by all the bacteria in the river water!"

"Yeah, I guess that'd be true for a regular person. But…my dad is…" he trailed off. "Well, water heals me and gives me boosts of strength when I'm in it. It's hard to explain."

"You're a son of Poseidon," Thalia stated, surprised. Percy looked wary. "It's okay. I'm a daughter of Zeus. We're in the same boat," she said, with a slight frown, realizing why Percy hadn't gone to camp. It was the same reason why she couldn't go. Glancing down at his wound, she blinked. "Have you had any ambrosia or nectar yet?" Percy just gave her a confused look. "I'll take that as a no. Luke, Annabeth, let's go to the safe house and get some supplies. We'll be right back, Percy."


	4. Multimonster Mayhem

**Once again, thank you so much to my reviewers. This chapter is for you guys—you've motivated me to write it, after all.**

**Takes place about a week or so after the last chapter. This chapter will include the monster attack that left Thalia injured and caused the visit to May Castellan. I'm citing TLO Chapter Nine for some original details and dialogue (though they don't describe the monster attack).**

**Chapter 3: Multi-monster Mayhem**

Thalia sat on the beach as she watched her friends (her family, really) splash around in the ocean water. The moon was bright overhead, and the entire beach was deserted, save the four demigods. They had travelled more than 400 miles in less than a week, which was a feat even for demigods (even if some of those miles had been travelled on the interstate bus). Now, they all needed a break, especially Percy, who had been out of it ever since they had travelled through New York. Though Thalia couldn't relate, she thought that it must have been very difficult to be close to a mother that you actually loved but were unable to meet because of _what_ you were. The four of them decided to take a break in Connecticut and let loose for a while on the beach. It cheered Percy up a lot, so Thalia was glad to have made the stop, even if she didn't swim. Nothing bad had happened to her in water yet, but she was taught by her father (back when he was around, anyways) to stay away from Poseidon's domain. Of course, Percy had no clue about it (if he knew the real reason why she wasn't in the water, he probably would've laughed and dragged her in). Apparently, he had a few memories of his father (along with a few guiding dreams and messages he had been sent when he was travelling alone), and Poseidon wasn't the tormenting type. But Thalia liked to keep dry anyways, so she had volunteered to stay on watch.

The duo of demigods was now a quartet, and it was hard to go anywhere without getting noticed by monsters. Whenever the four of them weren't on the road, one of them always had to be on watch to warn the others if any monsters came near. Thalia was glad to have the two newcomers, though. Annabeth was incredibly smart and often came up with strategies that allowed the demigods to escape or destroy the monsters pursuing them. Percy was a phenomenal swordfighter, and a lot of the powers he had were very useful in battle. Though Thalia and Luke originally stayed on the East Coast just to make sure they were close to the camp that she couldn't yet attend (after all, when Hades _did_ unleash his wrath on them, they needed to be able to get help), staying on the coast also meant they had Percy's water powers on their side. He was only seven, so his powers weren't full-fledged, but being a son of Poseidon still had its perks. Percy could control water (though it took a lot out of him), gain strength from it (for short periods of time), heal in it (though it was time consuming), stay dry in it (by concentrating), breath in it, and resist water pressure. Thalia was almost envious of Percy. Though she could control lightning more easily than Percy could control water, she figured he would be able to control water that easily once he turned twelve. She didn't get cool abilities like breathing underwater—her dad was Lord of the Sky, after all, and _everyone_ breathed air.

"Thalia," Percy called, walking up onto the beach. "You've been on watch for a while now. Want to switch?" The seven year old was shirtless, the moonlight highlighting the thin scars that ran across his stomach. They were the result of a hellhound attack that occurred in Maryland. He had refused to eat ambrosia because he wasn't seriously injured and he claimed it'd be a waste. The scars _were_ fading, now that he was soaked in ocean water, and Thalia knew they would soon be gone if Percy kept swimming. However, she felt a pang of an emotion she couldn't place. Percy was like a little brother to her. He was so young—only a year or two older than what Jason would've been. Annabeth as well—they were both seven year olds, for gods sake! They shouldn't have to fight for their lives.

"I'm good," Thalia said, smiling at Percy. "Just go enjoy yourself." He grinned and ran back into the ocean. For a while longer, Thalia continued to sit on the beach, watching her family. Then, a shiver ran down her back. There was someone—_something_—nearby. She instinctively activated her shield, glancing around as she stood up.

"Got company?" Luke asked softly, treading out of the water. Annabeth and Percy followed, and the latter grabbed onto the other two demigods, closing his eyes. Seconds later, they were all dry. Their midnight swim was over.

"I think there's more than one," she replied, nodding. The four demigods looked at each other. More than one monster meant danger. They needed to get away as fast as possible. Luke and Percy quickly pulled on their shirts before arming themselves. Annabeth took out her knife, and Thalia grabbed her spear. If they were lucky, they would be able to leave without encountering the monsters. The four of them walked quickly off the beach, grabbing their shoes off the boardwalk running alongside the beach.

"The safe house is about a mile southwest from here," Luke whispered. "We should grab supplies and leave the area as fast as we can." Everyone agreed. The group was running low on everything—they hadn't stopped at a safe house since Pennsylvania.

"Okay, Luke, bring up the rear, I'll take the front. Let's get out of here as fast as we can," Thalia said. The group of four ran off into the darkness of the dimly lit streets, leaving the now completely deserted beach behind.

The mile was quickly covered, though the sense that monsters were nearby persisted. When they were only a few yards from their safe house, a trio of tall men approached them. The men were shadowed by the surrounding forest, but they had to be at least six feet tall.

"What do you happen to be doing here, children?" the tallest of the three asked. Luke, the oldest of the four, stepped forward.

"My friends and I are camping out tonight," he replied. It wasn't a lie—the four of them camped out every night, after all.

"Really?" the man asked. Annabeth tugged on Thalia's shirt, noticing that the three men were _growing_. "Well, my friends and I are hunting!" he shouted. Suddenly, the men were more than eight feet tall. Blazing metal balls dropped into their hands, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The firelight illuminated their features, and the demigods tensed as they confirmed that these men weren't men, but monsters.

The giants threw the flaming metal balls at the four of them, and they tried to dive out of the way. However, one grazed Thalia's leg, leaving what had to be a second degree burn. The rest exploded in the forest around them, catching everything on fire. Before the giants could throw another volley, Thalia flashed her shield at them, temporarily paralyzing them with fear. She then threw her spear at the largest, successfully impaling him in the chest. He exploded into dust, leaving his comrades howling with fury. More flaming balls appeared in their hands, and they threw them at the demigods, who dodged again. They were now hiding in the undergrowth, crouching in an area of the forest that wasn't yet burning.

"Laistrygonian giants," Annabeth whispered. "We have to get them when they're unarmed—right after they attack."

"We need a decoy, then," Percy said. "While I'm distracting them, get them!" Without waiting for a reply, he leapt out of hiding. "Hey, you ugly monsters! Come get me if you can!" he yelled, running in the opposite direction of where the others were hiding. The giants growled, running after Percy. They threw the hot mounds of metal at him, and he hit the floor as the blazing comets whizzed over his head. Annabeth and Luke each attacked one of the giants, who had nothing to throw and nothing to protect them. They raised their arms in defense, but it wasn't adequate defense against celestial bronze. Soon, the monsters were nothing but piles of yellow dust.

"The fire," Luke shouted. "The safe house is burning!" Percy got up off the forest floor, and even though he was exhausted, he quickly looked around. He couldn't see it, but he knew the ocean was about half a mile away.

"I'll put it out," he said, weakly. Calling upon the last of his strength, he willed the ocean water to splash over the forest to put out the fire, but leave everything dry. He then collapsed into the ground, unconscious.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled, running over to him. "Gods, why does he have to be such a Seaweed Brain? He knows he can't control that much water!" She knelt beside him, relieved to see that he was breathing, though haphazardly.

"Thalia, can you stand?" Luke asked. Thalia winced as she attempted to, then shook her head. Her left leg was burned too badly. Taking one of the last two squares of ambrosia out of his pack, Luke handed one to Thalia. She ate it quickly, and stood with a grimace.

"I need some ambrosia!" Annabeth shouted. "Percy barely has enough energy to breathe." Luke gave the last square to her, and she managed to get Percy to swallow it. Almost immediately, his breathing pattern returned to normal.  
>Luke cursed in Ancient Greek as he rummaged through the remains of the safe house. The celestial bronze weapons were fine, unharmed by the fire. But the medical supplies, clothes, and food that they needed were all consumed. "What the Hades are we going to do?"<p>

"I don't know," Thalia replied. This was a bad situation. Percy was knocked out, she was injured, and Annabeth and Luke were exhausted. They needed to get supplies, but the next safe house was practically a hundred miles away. Looking down at her wound, she saw the ambrosia take effect. The skin was attempting to stitch itself back together. She needed more medical attention, though. At this rate, her wound could get infected and take forever to heal. Then, she noticed that the monster presence was still not gone. "We've got to get back on the road!" she exclaimed. "There are still monsters nearby!" Luke quickly picked Percy up, piggyback style. He held onto Percy with one hand, and gripped his sword with the other. Annabeth followed behind them, and Thalia brought up the rear. She brandished Aegis behind her, trying to scare whatever monsters were left away.

Luke led the group through the woods, knowing exactly where he had to go, even if he didn't want to. Percy was knocked out, Annabeth was exhausted, and every step brought Thalia pain.

"Just a little further!" Luke promised. Annabeth stumbled, and he caught her with his arm. They finally stopped at a ridge, and looked down the other side at a white Colonial house. "All right," he said, breathing hard. "I'll just sneak in and grab some food and medicine. Wait here."

"Luke, are you sure?" Thalia asked. She knew where this was. "You swore you'd never come back here. If she catches you—"

"We don't have a choice!" he growled. "They've burned our nearest safe house. And you've got to treat that leg wound."

"This is your house?" Annabeth said, amazed.

"It _was_ my house," Luke replied. "Believe me, if it wasn't an emergency—"

"Is your mom really horrible? Can we see her?" Annabeth asked.

"No!" Luke snapped. Annabeth shrank back, surprised. "I…I'm sorry. Just wait here. I promise everything will be okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'll be back—"

A brilliant golden flash illuminated the woods. "You should not have come home," a man's voice boomed.


	5. Going Back to the Beginning

**Thank you to those who've reviewed—especially my persistent reviewers. It's amazing to me how positive the reviews are for this story. I also thank those who've added this story to their favorites or alerts list. Getting feedback keeps me writing. **

**Takes place almost immediately after the last chapter. This chapter will include the visit to May Castellan and travelling back to Virginia. I'm citing TLO Chapter Thirteen for a lot of original details and dialogue (though I'm going to modify the details a bit).**

**Chapter 4: Going Back to the Beginning**

Thalia sat awkwardly at the kitchen table as Luke's mom wrapped her leg with bandages. Her burns felt much better now, after she had eaten some more ambrosia that Ms. Castellan had given her. Annabeth and Percy sat next to her—the latter woke up when Hermes revealed himself to them with his booming voice. Percy was still incredibly exhausted, having barely managed to stumble into the colonial house, though his fatigue wore off a bit when he ate two more squares of ambrosia. He and Annabeth played with a Medusa bean bag, awkwardly avoiding looking at Ms. Castellan. She was chattering on about Luke's childhood while she bandaged Thalia's leg.

Meanwhile, Luke was angrily staring down his father in the living room. Hermes was dressed in a blue track suit and his trademark winged Reeboks.

"Why show yourself now? All these years I've been praying to you and you did nothing! You just left me with _her_," Luke spat contemptuously, waving his arm to point at his mother behind him.

"Luke, do not dishonor her," Hermes warned. "Your mother did the best she could. As for me, I couldn't interfere with your path. Children of the gods must find their own way."

"So it was for my own good, then? Growing up on the streets, fending for myself, finding monsters."

"You're my son," Hermes replied simply. "I knew you had the ability. When I was just a baby, I crawled from my cradle and set out for—"

"I'm not a god!" Luke exploded. "You could've done something—anything. You could've helped when," his voice dropped to a whisper, "when she was having one of her _fits_. When she was shaking me and saying crazy things about my fate and the future. When I used to hide just so she wouldn't find me with those _glowing_ eyes. Did you even care that I was scared? Did you even know when I ran away?"

"Luke, I care very much," Hermes murmured, "but gods cannot interfere directly in mortal affairs. It is one of our Ancient Laws. Especially when your destiny…" Hermes averted his eyes, gazing off into the distance.

"My destiny?" Luke asked. "What about it?"

"You shouldn't have come back," Hermes said. "It only upsets you both. However, I see now that you are too old to be on the run without help. I'll speak with Chiron and ask him to send a satyr to collect you."

"We're doing fine without your help!" Luke growled. "What did you mean about my destiny?"  
>"I'm the god of travellers, the god of roads. I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart," Hermes replied.<p>

"You don't love me," Luke stated.

"I promise I do love you. Just…just go to camp. I will see that you get a quest soon. Perhaps you can defeat the Hydra or steal the apples of Hesperides. You'll get the chance to be a great hero before…"

"Before what? What did my mom see that made her like this? What's going to happen to me? If you love me, tell me!"

"I cannot," Hermes said, hardening his expression.

"Then you don't care!" Luke yelled.

The sudden outburst caused everyone in the kitchen to look over at the pair in the living room. Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy looked at Luke nervously.

"Luke, is that you? Are you all right?" Ms. Castellan called. Luke didn't turn to look at her, blinking away tears.

"I'm fine," he muttered angrily. "I've got a new family now. I don't need either of you."

"I'm your father," Hermes insisted.

"A _father_ is supposed to be around. I've never even _met_ you. Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, let's go. We're leaving!" Luke said, storming towards the door. The other three demigods quickly jumped to follow him, Percy struggling to keep up with the pace. The screen door slammed shut.

"Luke, slow down," Thalia said, "Percy is still exhausted, and even if my leg is bandaged now, I'm still injured! Besides, you aren't being stealthy at all, and those monsters that were following us could attack us at any time now!"

Luke span around and looked like he was about to start yelling at Thalia. Annabeth and Percy looked at him, shocked at his demeanor. Usually, Luke was like a caring older brother to them. This was a side of him they hadn't seen before. Upon looking at those he considered his real family, he sighed, anger dissolving.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't take it out on you guys. It's not your fault." Thalia grasped his arm comfortingly.

"It's okay. It's not your fault either," Thalia replied. She then turned to Percy and Annabeth behind her. "Are you guys still okay for running a bit further?" The two of them nodded. "Let's catch the bus then. We need to get away from here." Buses were usually a safe way to travel. Monsters seldom boarded them, Chiron had advised. The centaur kept track of the travelling demigods, occasionally providing them with demigod supplies such as ambrosia and celestial bronze or even mortal money.

The quartet began to travel towards Bridgeport, where they knew a Greyhound Bus Terminal was located. The trek was about 10 miles, but the demigods were used to running further distances. Though they travelled more slowly than usual, they soon reached the bus terminal. They then sat in the dim light, waiting for the bus. It was already dawn, and the bus would start operating soon.

"You don't think Chiron will really send a satyr after us, do you?" Percy asked, breaking the silence. "He said it wasn't safe for us to go to Camp Half-Blood yet."

"I don't think so," Thalia replied. "He'll probably not send a satyr and say he did. Or maybe he'll just send a satyr to track us until Hades finds out."

"Oh." With that, the silence returned. The four of them were too exhausted to feel like talking. They hadn't slept for almost 24 hours.

"We can go further on the bus this time," Luke said when the ticket booth opened. "I…I took some money from home." No one commented on it. May Castellan was obviously rich, and she probably wouldn't even notice that it was gone.

After buying tickets, the four demigods boarded the bus, sitting in the back row. Annabeth volunteered to be on watch for the first quarter of the bus ride, so the others slouched in their seats as they dozed off. Taking a book out of her pack, Annabeth began to read. However, she kept close attention to everything around her. At the next stop, another rider boarded the bus and sat in front of them.

"You kids are awfully young to be travelling alone," he commented. He was about college age, a young man with inquisitive eyes. Annabeth smiled, putting on a front. He probably thought they were runaways or something, riding a bus so early in the morning.

"We're going to visit grandma," Annabeth said. The man looked like he didn't really believe her—it was too common of an excuse.

"You are all siblings?" he asked skeptically. Annabeth shook her head like she was amazed anyone would think that.

"No! Well, I mean, some of us are," she replied. She motioned at Luke. "He's my brother," she explained. It would be more believable that Luke was her brother—they both had the same hair color, after all. Motioning at Percy and Thalia, she added, "They're siblings, too. But we aren't all siblings to each other."

"So, you're all cousins, then?" the man asked. Annabeth made a face as if that was the strangest suggestion she had ever heard.

"Of course not! We just all grew up together—same neighborhood and stuff. Their grandparents treat us like their grandchildren, too. I call their grandma grandma even though I guess she really isn't my grandma. But now, she's is sick, so we're all going to go visit her. Our parents are too busy to take us, so we decided to take the bus. We're going back tonight, but we packed a bunch of stuff!" Annabeth rambled. She knew the more complicated she made the story, the faster the man would stop wanting to hear more.

"I see. Well, I hope she gets better," the man said, not really wanting to converse with the seven year old any longer. Annabeth grinned triumphantly as the man turned around and stopped talking to her.

The bus ride was long and uneventful, but it provided much needed rest for the demigods. They transferred bus routes two times and switched watch thrice, but all felt almost completely refreshed after they arrived at their destination—Richmond, Virginia.

"We're back to where we started from," Annabeth commented as she watched the bus leave.

"Yeah," Percy said. "Back to the beginning."

"Let's prove to _Hermes_ that we can survive out here by ourselves," Luke said, voice steeling. "He's wrong, if he thinks we can't. We definitely can, right?"

"Yeah. I'm definitely not going to camp if it means Hades will know about my existence. I'd be stuck at camp my whole life! I'd probably get attacked by an army of monsters every time I even set foot off camp grounds," Thalia said. Percy nodded. Though he missed his mother, if he gave up the "on the run" thing and went to camp now, he probably would never be able to see her again.

"Let's go," Luke said, beginning to walk down the road. The sun was setting, and they needed to get out of the populated portion of the city—the more populated an area was with humans, the more populated it was with monsters. After all, monsters were able to find more demigods where there were more humans.

The demigods raced through the city, trying to put the events of the day before behind them. Life on the run was life in the present. If they dwelled on anything, their survival would be jeopardized. But Luke wasn't able to let go of his resentment for his father. And soon, it would endanger all of their lives.

**Please review, even if you want to be anonymous! Your opinions really motivate me to write more!**


	6. The Hydra and the Hunters

**It still amazes me how much reviews keep my writing spirits up. I knew it'd been a while since I'd updated but I hadn't really felt like writing…until I read all of the reviews again! Thank you so much, reviewers! Here's a chapter a little longer than the rest because you guys had to wait so long.**

**This chapter takes place just a few days after the last, and will discuss the four demigods' run in with the Hunters!**

**Chapter 5: The Hydra and the Hunters**

"Luke," Thalia hissed, "we _can't_. We should just get out of here." She was crouching behind a pile of cardboard boxes, holding her breath. The other three demigods were also crouching behind similar piles of cardboard, hiding in the shadows of a supposedly abandoned warehouse. It had started to rain earlier, and the warehouse happened to be in the area. The quartet decided to seek shelter there, but then they realized it wasn't exactly abandoned.

Across the warehouse, the leathery body of a monster with five reptilian heads swerved around slowly. It wasn't yet aware of the four's presence, but it could definitely sense something.

"We can take it," Luke insisted. "Or, if you guys can't, _I_ can. It's the Hydra. _Hermes_ mentioned it, didn't he?" Thalia grimaced. Ever since their visit to the Castellan house, Luke was picking fights with almost every monster they crossed paths with, regardless of whether or not the monsters had noticed the demigods. He was getting reckless and moody—always acting like he had something to prove. The group was sustaining more injuries, becoming more fatigued, and using more supplies. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to stay under Hades' radar.

"If you're going to fight, I will, too," Annabeth said, gripping her knife. Luke was a hero to Annabeth, and all she knew was he was hurt by the run in with his parents. If he wanted to fight a couple of monsters, she would help him. After all, nothing bad had happened yet, right?

"If both of you are going to fight, I'll fight, too," Percy stated. Luke seemed like he definitely wouldn't give up on fighting this monster, and if he was going to take on the Hydra, then he'd need all the help he could get. Thalia sighed. There was no choice, now. She couldn't let her friends face a monster while she just sat on the sidelines. But how in the world would they be able to slay it?

"Okay, fine! But if we're going to take this thing on, we need a plan," Thalia said. "How are we going to stop its heads from growing after we chop them off?"

"Heracles—" Annabeth got cut off by a deafening roar. The Hydra knew they were in the warehouse.

"Run!" Percy shouted as the Hydra began crashing through the piles of cardboard boxes. The four demigods dashed away as the Hydra attacked. Thalia quickly activated her shield, facing the nearest Hydra head. It hissed angrily, bobbing backwards in fear as it saw the Medusa head. The other heads, however, didn't seem affected as they attacked her friends. One head lashed out at Percy, and he swung his sword up in defense, effectively decapitating the head. The stump began to regrow, and Percy's eyes widened in panic.

"Crap, I didn't mean to do that!" he said. The demigods all looked around frantically, trying to find something to prevent the stump from turning into two Hydra heads. Panicking, Thalia stepped forward and shoved at the stump with the hand her shield was on, making contact with the slimy stump with her palm.

"GRRAA!" the Hydra roared. Thalia looked down at both of her hands in amazement, realizing that she had sent an electric shock through the stump. The shock had been powerful enough to stop the Hydra from growing more heads. The stump was now charred and sizzling, any possibility of a regrowth gone.

"Electrical burns!" Annabeth said, amazed. "We can burn the stumps without fire if we've got electricity!"

The other Hydra heads roared angrily, sending a splash of acid at the four demigods, who jumped backwards out of the way. Luke dashed forward and cut off another head, and Thalia burned the stump again. The Hydra now only had three heads left, and was acting more aggressive than ever.

"I don't think it's going to let us get close enough to cut off any more heads!" Annabeth shouted as she dodged several more bursts of acid. The Hydra wasn't letting them get close to it at all.

"Aghh!" Luke yelled as a spray of acid skimmed his arm. The skin around the area began to melt away, dissolving as the acid ate at Luke's flesh.

"Luke!" Thalia yelled. She quickly dug through her pack while still dodging the Hydra's acid attacks, eventually throwing a handful of ambrosia squares at Luke. It was almost the last of the ambrosia they had, but Thalia knew that the Hydra's poison was potent enough to dissolve Luke's arm to the bone if nothing was done about it. Luke caught the squares and immediately wolfed them down. The surge of strength that filled him began to combat the Hydra's acid, and though his wound didn't heal, it was no longer getting any worse.

"How are we going to beat this thing?" Annabeth asked, sounding scared. The Hydra was unrelenting as it attacked the demigods, and there didn't seem to be any way to beat it. If they got close enough to lop off a head, they risked getting a face full of acid spray. Thalia would've flung her spear at it, but if she missed, she would be defenseless and fighting a Hydra, which was definitely a situation no one would want to be in.

Suddenly, a clear sound pierced the air—the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods. The Hydra seemed to stop in its tracks, almost fearful. It stopped its attack and seemed to look around nervously. A volley of arrows, silver like moonlight, shot at the monster from behind, coming from the open warehouse doors. Three arrows pierced the necks of the remaining three heads. The Hydra shuddered and groaned, but did not explode into dust. However, it seemed to be no longer able to spew acid. Thalia leapt forth with her spear, quickly decapitating a head and then electrifying the stump left behind. Percy and Annabeth followed suit, each decapitating a head of the monster for Thalia to burn. When the last stump was sealed, the Hydra seemed to shudder for one last moment before exploding into yellow dust, revealing a group of girls wearing silvery ski parkas and jeans. They were all armed with bows, and none were older than fourteen.

"Who are you?" Percy blurted. One of the older girls stepped forward, glaring at him.

"We are the Hunters of Artemis, _boy_," she replied. It sounded as if she thought being a guy was the worst thing in the world. "I am Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant and leader of the Hunt in Artemis's absence." There was a moment of silence before Zoë sighed, exasperatedly. "To ask for an introduction and yet not introduce thyself…do boys no longer have any manners?"

"I'm Percy," Percy said, blushing. "These are Luke, Annabeth, and Thalia." He motioned to the three of them. When he mentioned Annabeth and Thalia, he noticed Zoë's eyes flash into a kinder emotion. She was clearly not disposed towards being annoyed with the fairer sex.

"You guys were awesome! Especially you, Thalia! You're a really powerful demigod, aren't you?" one of the younger Hunters piped up. She was probably ten or eleven. "Hey, are we going to recruit them, Zoë? Can we?"

"Of course," Zoë replied. She rummaged through the pockets of her ski parka and pulled out a brochure. Striding over, she handed the brochure to Annabeth. "Read over this. We will be downstream," she said, turning back towards the warehouse door. "Let us raise the tents!" Zoë commanded, and the dozen or so Hunters began to follow her out the door.

"Wait, can't you stay here?" Annabeth asked, confused. The Hunters had just gotten here. And why would anyone want to camp out in a tent when there was a perfectly fine abandoned warehouse to seek shelter in? Zoë blinked, about to answer, but the younger Hunter that had commented on Thalia's powers earlier answered the question first.

"Hunters are usually forbidden to come into contact with boys. The only reason we are even allowed to be here is because we encountered you while on the Hunt," the young girl said. "We definitely can't camp with boys. It's forbidden...well, unless Artemis allowed it. But she isn't with us right now, so we can't. Read about it in the brochure!" With that, the Hunters left without a trace.

"Luke, is your wound going to be okay?" Percy asked. Luke shook his head.

"The ambrosia is wearing off and I think the acid is going to start eating at my skin again soon," he replied. "I'm sorry for making you guys fight that thing. I thought…I thought we could take it."

"It's okay!" Annabeth replied. Thalia's face hardened. Annabeth and Percy didn't really seem to be against Luke's new attitude towards monster fighting. She knew both of them admired Luke as an older brother, but his recent actions were a bit much. Then again, the younger demigods hadn't been on the run quite as long as her, so they couldn't see exactly how much trouble they were in thanks to Luke. Chiron couldn't afford to send them that many supplies. If they weren't careful, soon their safe houses would be depleted thanks to the increased number of monster fights.

"Luke, we need to clean the acid from your wound," Thalia said. She turned to Annabeth. "Have any bright ideas?"

"Well, when people get acids on themselves in chemistry class, they have to put their wounds under running water," Annabeth stated. "There's a river nearby, so you should put your arm in it until the acid is gone!"

"Gosh, Annabeth, you're awfully clever. You haven't even taken chemistry before, have you?" Luke asked, chuckling. Annabeth shook her head, blushing at the compliment. "I'll go to the river now, then. Before the ambrosia wears off and I get eaten alive."

Percy looked like he was thinking about something, then he started for the door. "Hey, I'll come too. I can probably speed up the process—make the water go faster or something." With that, the two male demigods left.

"Well, I guess we should start dinner, huh?" Thalia said. Annabeth nodded, and pulled a few canned goods and a small hanging device out of her bag. She opened one can of soup, removing the lid. Thalia grabbed some cardboard boxes from the pile that got squished by the Hydra. Sparks flew from her fingertips towards the pile and soon she had a steady flame going.

"Is it getting easier for you to control lightning?" Annabeth asked as she hung the open can of soup over the fire to heat. She was surprised at the ease at which Thalia sparked the cardboard. Usually it took more effort on Thalia's part. Thalia had also been frying the Hydra head stumps with incredible ease during the battle.

"Yeah," Thalia nodded, "I think I've hit demigod puberty." It made sense. Demigod puberty referred to the "growth spurt"-like phenomenon in which demigods started to experience quick increases in their control over their powers around age twelve. Demigods would continue to experience such spurts in control over their teenage years, with growth in power leveling off afterwards. It was quite analogous in time period to human puberty, so demigods called it demigod puberty.

"I wonder what will happen to me when I hit demigod puberty," Annabeth mused. "I'm probably not going to be frying anything, that's for sure." Thalia laughed.

"Well, your mother seems to care a lot for you, so she'll probably give you a present when you turn twelve. And, it's hard to believe it, but you'll probably become even more clever than you are now," she replied. She then noticed the brochure that was sticking out of Annabeth's pocket. "Hey, that brochure that the Hunters gave you—what's in it, anyways?" Annabeth blinked, shrugging. She had yet to look at it.

"Let's look through it!" Annabeth suggested. They had to wait for a while before the food heated up, anyways.

"A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE," Thalia read the cover. "Hmm, they really like capital letters." They continued through the brochure, reading about what exactly Hunters were.

"This is incredible! They hunt down powerful monsters and often aid demigods plagued by them. And they're immortal!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"They're also under Artemis's protection," Thalia mused. "If I joined, Hades wouldn't able to attack me!"

"It sounds incredible, but what does 'A BOY-FREE TOMORROW' mean?" Annabeth asked as her eyes caught the caption. Both of the girls skimmed the passage beneath the caption, and then their excited expressions faded.

"If we join, Percy and Luke can't come," Thalia said, now understanding the young girl's explanation for why the Hunters couldn't stay in the warehouse. "Being a Hunter would mean we couldn't stay with them."

"Then I guess I won't join," Annabeth said simply. She turned her attention away from the brochure and started tending to the heating can of soup. However, Thalia couldn't tear her eyes away from the brochure. If she joined, she'd gain immortality. She'd be able to shoot arrows more accurately than any mortal or demigod. She'd be more powerful, have greater stamina, and be incredibly fast, too. Above all, she'd be _safe_. She wouldn't have to worry about Hades attacking her.

The first thought her conscience sent her was Luke, who had been her sole companion for two years. But was staying with Luke, who was now endangering all their lives, worth giving this opportunity up? Then, she thought about Percy. Though she tried not to think of him like a younger brother at first (she had reserved that spot for Jason alone), she soon developed those feelings for him. Could she really leave him? After all, _he_ wouldn't be safe from Hades. Thalia's train of thought was broken by Annabeth, who told her the cardboard they could burn was running out.

"I'll go collect some firewood," Thalia stated, running out of the warehouse. Usually, the quartet wouldn't split up like this, but with the Hunters so close, they all knew no monsters would be eager to lurk in the area. After all, the Hydra, one of the strongest monsters, cowered in fear when it sensed the Hunters' presence. Plus, Thalia needed some alone time. She couldn't get the idea of joining the hunt out of her mind, and she really needed to think some things over.

**Review?**


	7. Making a Friend and Lots of Enemies

**Thank you to reviewers. I really do read every review. I want to especially thank the reviewers who've been gracious enough to review almost every chapter I've written. You know who you are. Thank you so much. I really wouldn't be doing this if not for you guys.**

**Also, sorry for the kind of late update. This chapter was pretty hard to write, so I wouldn't call it my best work. If it's any consolation, it's even longer than my last, so it should give you a nice and long read.**

**This chapter takes place the day after the last. It'll include Thalia's famous argument with Zo****ë, some more travelling, a Fury attack, and the debut of Grover!**

**Chapter 6: Making a Friend and Lots of Enemies**

The first thing Annabeth noticed when she woke up was that Thalia wasn't there. Percy and Luke were still asleep, but the daughter of Zeus was nowhere to be found. Annabeth crept out the warehouse door softly so that Percy and Luke wouldn't wake. Outside, the sun was rising in the sky—it was midmorning.

"Thalia?" she called softly. No one answered, so Annabeth began down the path to the river. She had a growing suspicion that the older girl was at the Hunters' camp. Even though Annabeth had pretended not to notice, she knew that Thalia had been really conflicted the other night.

When Annabeth arrived at the Hunters' camp, she observed several younger Hunters practicing archery. All of the arrows were embedded perfectly in the wooden targets' bull's eyes. Despite her resolution not to join the Hunters, Annabeth couldn't help but feel envious of the Hunters' skill in archery. She was also quite awed by the camp itself. It was beautiful. Seven tents made of silver silk stood in the shape of a crescent moon around the remains of a bonfire. Nearby, a pack of silver wolves rested, staring at the newcomer with curious and intelligent eyes. Some hunting birds circled overhead.

"Are you here because you're interested in joining us?" one of the Hunters asked excitedly, noticing her. Annabeth recognized her as the girl that had complimented Thalia the other night. "Thalia's already talking to Zoë about joining. Her tent is over there," the Hunter said, pointing at the largest tent—the one in the center of the crescent. Annabeth held back her surprise and worry. Thalia was talking to Zoë about _joining_? Had she already made up her mind?

"I'm here to tell Zoë about my decision," Annabeth replied, not really lying. She was determined to tell Zoë that she wouldn't join the hunt. However, Annabeth's head swam with a million thoughts as she approached Zoë's tent. What if Thalia decided to join the hunt?

Arriving in front of the tent, Annabeth took a deep breath and prepared to enter. But she froze when she heard Zoë's muffled voice through the silk material that the tent was made out of. "…understand that this is a special case. However, boys are still forbidden from travelling with Hunters," Zoë said.

"What if they didn't camp with the Hunters? Can't you make an exception _somehow_?" Thalia pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but there really is no way they would be allowed to travel with the Hunters!" Zoë sounded exasperated. "A wish to join the hunt needs the will to give up the company of men! Thou must choose—stay in the company of men or be a _Hunter_." The tone of Zoë's voice clearly revealed which she considered the better option.

"Why the Hades do you hate men so much? How can you be so convinced that joining the Hunt is a better option? I understand that you can't be romantically involved with guys, but if Artemis was truly as kind as you say she is, why won't she allow you to have male friends?" Thalia yelled. Annabeth held her breath. Thalia probably didn't mean for it to be insulting, but it definitely sounded like she was insulting Artemis.

"Do _not_ insult Artemis, insolent half-blood," she hissed, waves of anger resonating through her voice. "And don't even pretend that thy _male_ friend is really just a friend. Even I can tell that thy feelings for that Hermes boy are more than friendship."

"I—" Thalia protested, but didn't seem to be able to finish. Then, she shouted, "Fine then! I'm not joining the hunt! I don't care about immortality or any of your stupid powers! I care about my _friends_!"

"Foolish daughter of Zeus, thou will regret this decision. One day, that boy will let thee down," Zoë said.

"Luke will _never_ let me down!" Thalia shouted. Annabeth heard rapid footsteps coming towards her, and realized Thalia was probably storming out of the tent. When Thalia burst through the front of the tent, she almost knocked Annabeth over. "Annabeth? What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell Zoë I was turning the offer down," Annabeth replied, looking down. She really hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but she couldn't have entered the tent while Zoë and Thalia were arguing.

"Let's just get out of here, then. I already told her at the beginning that you weren't willing to leave Percy or Luke behind. And I don't think we're very welcome guests of this camp now that I've turned down being a Hunter so…spectacularly," Thalia remarked, knowing Annabeth overheard her conversation with Zoë. The two walked out of the Hunters' camp as quickly as they could, followed by the solemn eyes of the camp's inhabitants.

"So, you really aren't joining?" Annabeth asked as the two demigods approached the warehouse. Thalia laughed.

"Of course not! I wasn't really going to join anyways, not if Luke and Percy couldn't come with. It wasn't even worth trying to convince that stupid Hunter to somehow let us break the rules. I bet even if I did want to join, they wouldn't let me anymore. You should've seen the look on Zoë's face!" Thalia said, grinning. "Let's just hit the road now. Seriously—I don't want to be anywhere near these Hunters anymore! Plus, they're probably going to leave now that we've told them we're definitely not joining, so monsters will probably return to this area soon. We've got to start travelling again."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Let's go." The two made their way back to the warehouse. Annabeth couldn't even say she was surprised when they came back to see that both Luke and Percy were still asleep.

"Wake up, guys!" Thalia yelled, shoving Luke so hard he tumbled into Percy. Both of them scrambled to their feet, instantly drawing weapons.

"Aw, Thalia, can't we sleep some more?" Percy asked, realizing exactly who "attacked" him in his sleep. He capped Riptide and assumed a more relaxed stance. Luke relaxed as well, frowning.

"Why do we have to wake up, again? We should get as much sleep as we possibly can, while the Hunters are nearby," Luke said. Annabeth and Thalia shared a look.

"Well, we sort of went and told them we aren't joining, so I think they're going to leave the area soon," Thalia replied. "Besides, the sun's already up! We've all already slept lots more than usual."

"Yeah, and since we've already been in this area for two days, monsters will flock here after the Hunters are gone. By now, I'm sure any hellhound would be able to smell this area from miles away," Annabeth added. The boys didn't put up any argument, knowing what Annabeth said was true. Soon, the four of them were packing as quickly as they could.

"We need to stop by another safe house, soon," Luke commented as he packed away a Ziploc bag of three ambrosia squares. "These will only last another day or two." Thalia blanched. Three ambrosia squares used in a day or two? That much, before Luke's visit to his house, would usually last at least week, not one or two days! Recently, they did seem to be using close to that much ambrosia. But what was Luke expecting—that they'd get attacked by a hoard of monsters? Or worse—that they'd _attack_ a hoard of monsters?

"The closest safe house is in New Jersey," Annabeth said. An awkward silence filled the air. They all knew that there was actually a closer safe house in Maryland, but it barely had any ambrosia left in it.

"Let's head there, then. We can continue through to New York," Thalia said, breaking the silence. She wanted to be as close to Camp Half-Blood as she could. Maybe they could just stay closer to it for a while. Lately, she kept feeling like something was going to go wrong. If it did, she wanted to be close enough to Camp Half-Blood to be able to get Chiron's help. Or, if Hades was going to find out that she and Percy existed, she wanted to be able to get to Camp Half-Blood before his monster army could kill them all. Turning to Percy, who seemed dazed, she asked, "Are you okay with going there?"

"Yeah," Percy replied, voice shaking.

Luke stared at the son of Poseidon for a while, trying to determine if it'd be wise to put Percy through another trek so close to his mother. Even if they didn't continue through to New York, the New Jersey safe house was plenty close to Manhattan. They really didn't have a choice in travelling to that safe house, either. The ambrosia was almost gone, and there wasn't much more in the Maryland safe house. They could attempt going to the safe house further south—past Maryland's—but going so far with only two or three ambrosia squares was dangerous. Plus, they likely didn't have enough cash to pay for a bus ride far enough to put a dent in that journey. Luke felt a pang of guilt for throwing caution to the wind since he'd talked to his parents. He couldn't help it, though. Whenever he thought about the meeting, he just felt an uncontrollable urge to prove himself to Hermes. It took over him when he encountered monsters. If he couldn't beat one or two hellhounds, after all, who was to say that he _could_ survive without his father's help?

"What if we went back down the one in Virginia?" Luke asked. "How far could we travel on the bus?" Thalia searched through her pack and took out a small black pouch. She sifted through the wads of green bills that filled it. Though they'd spent a good portion of the money Luke had taken from his house, there was some money left.

"We've got about enough for three-quarters of the way to the New Jersey safe house," she replied. "It'd only cover maybe half that for the trip to the James River one."

"We should head for New Jersey, then," Percy spoke up. He looked determined. "The whole point of me being on the run was to stop putting my mom—my family—in danger. You guys are my family, too, now. It'd be a lot more risky trying to go back south, right?"

"Yeah," Luke said. "Jersey it is, then. The nearest bus station is more than twenty miles away, so we should get going before the Hunters leave this area." With that, the four demigods left the warehouse and began their trek through the forest. Eventually, they reached town and settled into a leisurely walking pace. A bunch of kids running like their lives depended on it would attract too much attention. When they finally got to the bus stop, Thalia approached the ticket booth. The tickets she was planning to buy left quite a few miles for the demigods to travel on foot, but they were much cheaper than the tickets for the entire trip, so it was the better option in the long run.

Buses were the most efficient way the demigods could get away from areas infested with monsters, and being broke was incredibly dangerous. Thalia and Luke didn't allow it to happen anymore. The first and last time they were stranded without a way out of an area filled with monsters, both of them had almost died. The two had just met up—Luke was twelve and Thalia was ten—and they hadn't really realized how many more monsters two demigods attracted. Hiding in an alleyway, the demigods almost got killed, but they managed to escape thanks to Luke's newly enhanced thieving powers (he'd just hit demigod puberty). He covertly stole a businessman's wallet and the two of them hailed a taxi to another city. At that point, Chiron hadn't known of their existence, so they didn't know about the safety of buses, yet (taxis were about just as safe, but much more expensive). Ever since then, Luke and Thalia made sure they were never broke. Luke preferred not to steal money from people, unless absolutely necessary, so it was lucky that Chiron soon found out about their existence and began assisting them. Thanks to his advice and supplies, the two demigods were able to survive on the run for nearly two years.

When Thalia requested the tickets, the man in the ticket booth looked over her and the other three demigods. "How old are you kids?" the Greyhound employee asked, making sure the minors weren't breaking any rules.

"I'm thirteen, he's fifteen, and they're both eight," Thalia replied, motioning to herself, Luke, and then Percy and Annabeth. They were already seasoned bus riders, and knew of all of Greyhound's child travel rules. Adding a year to their ages just made the whole ordeal easier.

"So two adult-fare and two child-fare?" the employee asked, and received a confirming nod from Thalia. She handed him the money to pay for the tickets, inwardly sighing with relief. At least this ticket-booth man didn't care why four minors were catching a bus to New Jersey. It was probably because it was the weekend. If it'd been a weekday, they'd have to find some excuse for why they weren't in school. Then again, it was almost summer break. Or was it already summer break? Thalia hadn't been in school since she ran away, so she really didn't remember when kids got out of school anymore. Grabbing the tickets that the man handed her, she joined her friends at the bus terminal's bench.

"We're scheduled to leave in 30 minutes," Thalia said, handing each of them a ticket. She sat down next to Luke. "We should eat something now since we didn't have time to before we had to leave the warehouse."

Annabeth reached into her pack and pulled out a package of energy bars. "What flavor do you guys want?" she asked wryly. The worst thing about being on the run—other than the constant threat of monster attacks—was probably the food. The canned food, when they had it, wasn't too bad, but more often than not they had to settle for energy bars or other bland forms of nutrition. Occasionally, though, the demigods had enough cash surplus to actually buy prepared food. Those opportunities were treasured, even if Thalia always insisted that they go to a burger joint. Burgers beat out canned food and bland energy bars any day.

Each demigod grabbed an energy bar or two, not really caring which flavor they got. The flavors all tasted the same now that they'd eaten so much of the bars. Scarfing food down, the four chewed as little as possible. The bars were just for nutrition—they had already stopped tasting even remotely like food to the demigods.

Half an hour later, the four boarded the bus and occupied a row of seats in the middle of the bus. They usually tried to find seats in the back, but the bus had more occupants than the buses they usually rode, so it was harder to find a group of seats in the same place. Still, the bus ride was pretty uneventful, and about two hours later, the demigods were in New Jersey, though their safe house was still miles away.

The demigods headed north east until they got out of town, travelling as quickly as they could. When they arrived at the woods that contained their safe house, the sun was already setting. As they got closer to the safe house, however, Thalia stopped the group.

"There's something going on here," she said. She had a sinking feeling. "Something's not right."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked. The demigods had been extremely lucky today—they hadn't met _any_ monsters on their journey to the safe house. He didn't sense any monsters, either.

"It's been _too_ quiet. It's like the calm before the storm. Something's _wrong_," Thalia muttered, looking around her.

"I'm getting that feeling, too," Percy said. Suddenly, he spun around. "Did you feel that?" A pulse of monster aura swept the area.

"What monster could've…?" Annabeth began, arming herself with her knife. That monster aura was stronger than the Hydra's had been! The group of four instinctively drew together, backs touching, each armed with their weapon of choice.

A twig snapped, and the demigods spun to face their opponent. A middle-aged woman with a sharp, evil looking face approached the group from the direction their safe house was.

"It's true, isn't it?" she asked the group.

"What's true?" Percy asked back, confused but wary. Suddenly, the middle-aged woman was no longer a woman. Her skin stretched and her features morphed until she looked like a shriveled hag with bat wings and talons.

"Do not take Hades for a fool!" the Fury yelled. "Did you think you could play your little running game forever? Did we wouldn't figure it out?" The Kindly One took off flying, circling around the group from overhead. "A daughter of Zeus and a son of Poseidon!" she mocked. "And yet your fathers swore on the River Styx to have no more demigod children."

The Fury dived at the group, grabbing Percy by the scruff of his shirt with her talons. He lashed out at her with Riptide, slicing a wing clean off. Both Percy and the Fury fell to the ground. Though the monster was turning to dust, she smiled at Percy with eerie yellow teeth that looked sharp enough to slice him to bits.

"Do not worry, son of Poseidon. You are only sending me back to the Underworld so that I can tell Hades that you and your friend do indeed exist. I will be back to get both of you, soon. And I won't be alone, either. Hades will let an army of monsters out of Tartarus to get you!" the Fury cackled as the last of her body blew away into dust.

Percy stood, trembling. He turned to face his friends, who were several feet away and shell-shocked as he was. They'd all heard every word. Hades was going to go after them—specifically Thalia and Percy. The two children of the Big Three locked eyes. A tense silence filled the wooded clearing.

"What are we going to do?" Annabeth asked softly. No one answered the question. None of them knew the answer.

"We should split up," Thalia finally said. Percy nodded his head in agreement.

"You guys shouldn't be around us anymore," he mumbled. "If you're with us, Hades will be after you, too." The other two demigods immediately protested.

"We _aren't_ splitting up. Besides, that Fury already knows that we're your companions. If we do split up, we're equally likely to be chased because we could be used to bait you into giving yourself to Hades," Annabeth pointed out.

"We should head for that camp!" Luke exclaimed. "Camp Half-Blood, right? Hades _knows_ now. We're allowed to head there!" Percy blinked. Even though he knew that someday, Hades would find out, they'd journey to Camp Half-Blood, and then he'd finally be free to see his mom again, he didn't think it would be this soon. It was almost _too_ soon. It had sounded easier than it was, too. How in the world could they possibly get to camp before the army of monsters killed them?

"Wait," Percy said, realizing something. "Do we even know where Camp Half-Blood is?" Another silence filled the clearing. None of them knew.

"Chiron never told us. How in Hades are we supposed to get to safety now?" Thalia cursed, frustrated. The only thing the centaur ever said was Camp Half-Blood was in New York. But the state was huge! It could be anywhere.

"Blaa-ha-ha!" The sharp yell sent the all the demigods into battle mode. The monster army couldn't already be there, could it?

Suddenly, a boy with brown, curly hair tumbled into the clearing, as if he'd been running towards them but tripped. Then the group realized he wasn't human—he had furry hindquarters and small horns poking out of his head. He scrambled to his…hooves, and faced the demigods.

"I'm Grover," he panted breathlessly. "Chiron sent me to be your keeper."

**Most of you probably didn't think Hades would figure it out this fast. I tried to stick to the original timeline as closely as possible, though, even if I've twisted some of the plot. Thalia was found out about two weeks after she and Luke met Annabeth (quoting Annabeth from the Lightning Thief). Annabeth claimed that they "traveled north from Virginia…for about two weeks before Grover found us." They supposedly met up with the Hunters after Luke's run in with his parents (in Connecticut, which is further north than New York), so to make my story work, I decided they'd have to go back south before travelling north again. Maybe in the real plotline they actually travelled up to Massachusetts or Vermont. It was a crazy two weeks, though, right? Hope you've enjoyed the story thus far. Some of you might be confused as to why this AU hasn't really changed much of the events that have been hinted at by the real PJO series. I'd originally considered it—would Percy's presence cause something different to happen to the demigods on the run? But I decided against it when I thought a little more about the Fates. The general destiny of the group, in the long run, should remain. Even if they were in a different place or time (after all, Rick Riordan only gave very general details about Thalia/Luke/Annabeth's travels before getting to camp), the same outcomes appeared. Luke would still meet and resent his parents. They would still meet/get saved by the Hunters. Zoë would still warn Thalia about Luke. Grover would still be sent to protect Thalia (and Percy, which also fits his destiny because he would've done this later anyways). And then the group would try to get to Camp Half-Blood. One might ask what the point of writing a fanfiction that has all the same outcomes as the original series is. I suppose my answer would to see the change in relationships, the small details that aren't determined by destiny but by choice. Plus, though almost everyone's destiny remains mostly the same, Percy's has already been changed (thanks to the earlier disappearance of Gabe—hence the title). There might be some interesting plot twists yet ;)**


	8. The Mimic Monster

**Hey guys. It's been years. I'm so sorry for not updating for all this time, but life really got to me in 2011. Thank you to the people who reviewed in the meantime—especially Artemis's huntress101. You reviewed at the perfect time, and finally reminded me about this story. **

**It's taken the longest time for me to drudge up the will to look at this again, but you guys are the people I'm writing for. I can't really make any promises about releases anymore, but I'll do my best to not take years to update anymore.**

**This chapter takes place a few days after the last one. Grover has started leading them towards Camp Half-Blood, but they haven't made it further than Brooklyn. **

**Chapter 7: The Mimic Monster**

"Where are we?" Annabeth whispered. It was dark—so dark she could hardly see in front of her. Grover bleated nervously. The satyr had been leading them towards camp, but she could tell he was new at this.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Luke asked. After they'd gotten to New York, Grover had led them into a series of warehouses in Brooklyn, and then into some underground corridor.

"This is supposed to be a shortcut," Grover said, nervously. "It's the fastest way to camp. The other side should open up around Montauk."

"Sounds like you're trying to convince yourself," Thalia muttered. They'd been in this tunnel for the past day and a half, and it felt like they hadn't made any progress.

"There're more than a hundred miles between Brooklyn and Montauk," Percy said, remembering the long car rides that he used to sit through while his mom drove them to Montauk. "This tunnel leads all the way there? Walking that far's gonna take us days!"

"This isn't a normal tunnel," Grover explained. "It's only really used in dire situations—like ones with the Big Three's children. A bunch of Athena and Hephaestus's kids built it together a while back, for a summer project. They based it on the Labyrinth. I'm not sure how it works, but it," Grover took a breath, "it isn't supposed to take more than a day, walking, to get there."

"So we're lost," Annabeth said. "If it's supposed to go straight to camp, how are we lost?"

"Well, they based it off the Labyrinth—using the same kind of technology, you know? So some of that Labyrinth randomness is ingrained in it, too. That's why I said it shouldn't take more than a day. I mean, it could even just take minutes, if it was arranged nicely. I don't think it's arranged especially well today, but it still should never take more than a day. It was built so that if you pick the right path, you can be where you want in no time at all, but—" Grover rambled.

"But if you get lost, you can get stuck there forever," Annabeth finished.

"So that's where we are, then? Stuck? We don't have time to be stuck!" Luke exclaimed. The whole group was somewhat high-strung—Hades' army could reach them at any point now, but they weren't getting anywhere.

Suddenly, Luke screamed in front of them. Thalia gasped, running forward to help him. It was too dark to see anything, and even the sound of her footsteps disappeared.

"Luke!" Annabeth shouted.

"Thalia!" Percy yelled.

Strong hands grabbed both of them.

"I'm right here," Luke said, before letting go. "We need to find Thalia."

"I heard you scream," Annbeth said in disbelief.

"Thalia, she ran to save you!" Percy said, panicking.

"That wasn't me." Fear was creeping into Luke's voice, too, now.

They walked for five more minutes, before they heard Annabeth's scream. Luke swore, and started running towards the sound. Annabeth could hear Percy take off in the same direction. She wasn't the one screaming—they were falling for the same thing Thalia had!

"Luke! Percy!" She screamed, but the fake screams were louder than hers. They were drowning out everything.

Realizing she was going to get separated from them, Annabeth ran, too, chasing the sound of their footsteps. After what seemed like an eternity, the fake screams stopped, and Annabeth ran into something in the dark. She grabbed onto an arm—it was small, with elbows the same height as hers.

"Percy," she breathed.

"Annabeth, that wasn't you, was it?" he asked shakily. "Luke—one minute I was behind him, but then he just disappeared."

Whatever had spirited Thalia away had probably taken Luke as well.

"Wait, what happened to Grover?" Annabeth said. They were so used to living as a group of four that they'd completely forgotten about the satyr. "Did he get taken too?" She sounded on the verge of tears.

The two seven-year-olds stood, terrified in the darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, Percy broke the silence.

"What should we do?" Percy asked. "Keep walking in the direction Luke was?"

Annabeth nodded, before realizing he couldn't see her. "Yeah, we should," she said, wiping away tears with her other arm. Percy started walking, pulling away from her grip on his arm. Reflexively, she grabbed his hand. When she realized what she did, she blushed. Hand-holding felt very childish to both of the young demigods, and they'd spent considerable time convincing Luke not to hold onto either of them during their past few weeks on the run. She recalled how quickly Luke had let go of her after Thalia screamed. Maybe if they hadn't protested so much, Luke would've held on, and he'd still be with them. As long as they were physically connected, they couldn't be tricked by voices in the dark.

Percy stopped walking and squeezed her hand. "We can't get separated," he said. Hand-holding suddenly didn't seem so childish to him anymore. This connection was his lifeline—the only constant in the darkness. Annabeth squeezed back, and they started their trek to find their friends.

After what seemed like forever, light started permeating the pitch black corridor. At the far end, they could see the source—a faintly lit room. A tall figure was hunched over in the center of the room. Its shadow stretched so far that it reached Percy and Annabeth's feet.

"What is that?" Percy whispered. He let go of Annabeth's hand, uncapping Riptide. The blade gleamed in the dim light.

"Probably the monster that tricked us," Annabeth whispered back. They crept closer and closer to the room, but the monster didn't seem to notice. When they finally reached it, they knew why. The room was huge, and the monster was busy trying to start a fire. There were piles of bones in the room that mostly looked like they used to belong to cows and sheep, but Annabeth could make out some human remains as well. She felt like throwing up.

Percy looked up, and his eyes met with Luke, Thalia, and Grover, who had been gagged, bound, and strung up to the ceiling like smoked hams. They started swinging, motioning frantically for Percy to look forward again. He heard Annabeth draw her knife. The thing—their enemy, had gotten up and turned towards them. And it only had one eye.

"A Cyclops?" Annabeth said, shocked at the identity of the monster.

Percy brandished Riptide in front of him, daring the monster to come closer. But the Cyclops just smiled, and opened its mouth.

"Percy, you don't have to worry about running anymore. You can come home again," the Cyclops said. Annabeth didn't know this voice, but from the look on Percy's blanched face, she guessed it was his mother's. It turned to her. "Now, Annabeth, don't you worry. I love you. You can stay here. You can stay here with me. You can stay here forever." It was her father's voice. The voice sent shivers down Annabeth's spine. But she was too mad—too angry at this Cyclops, who was clearly intent on eating her friends—to fall for its tricks again.

She charged forward with her knife, stabbing the Cyclops in the foot. It howled in pain, the agonized screams coming in her father's voice. She flinched, but pulled her knife out of its foot, and ran back towards where her friends were hanging.

Percy had already begun cutting them down—Annabeth's attack had shook him out of his stupor—and Thalia, Luke, and Grover were on the ground again. With a few quick strikes of their weapons, the ropes that had been binding their friends were hacked to pieces.

Thalia and Luke circled the injured Cyclops, and a couple of well-placed hits later, it was vaporized.

"Are you guys okay?" Luke asked. Both Percy and Annabeth were still trembling. Walking through endless darkness as must have been terrifying for the seven-year-olds, never mind the fact that they'd just heard a monster speak in their parents' voices. Sometimes it was hard to remember that these warriors Luke trusted with his life were also just kids.

"We're fine," Annabeth said. "We…we should keep going. We've already wasted so much time."

"I'm sorry I led you here," Grover bleated, sounding ashamed. "That Cyclops must've connected its lair to the tunnel. I didn't even notice and led you straight into this trap."

"Never mind that," Thalia said. "We just have to keep moving. Do you know how to get to the exit from here?"

The satyr nodded, nervous. "I can see where we are, now. The exit is actually really close by. But it doesn't lead you inside Camp Half-Blood," he said. "That'd be considered a security hazard, so it opens a few miles away. But the time we've wasted…Hades' army is probably in New York, if not in Montauk, by now."

"Then let's go," Percy said, shakily. He gripped Riptide. "We've got to get there before they do."

**Again, I apologize for this super late update. I'd be amazed if any of my original readers are even still around. Reviews motivate me, and I do still see and read those emails even when I haven't updated in forever. I'll try to update sooner this time—I planned the Half-Blood Hill scene three years ago, and still know it like the back of my hand, so I should be able to get it out quickly. **


	9. Half-blood Hill (I)

**This chapter takes place a few minutes after the last one. The group has made it to the exit, and are about to enter Montauk. **

**Chapter 8: Half-Blood Hill (I)**

"Everyone ready?" Thalia asked, standing by the door. Grover was next to her, Her eyes flickered across the rest of the group. Luke gave a nod, his expression serious. Percy was gripping Riptide so hard his knuckles were turning white, but if he was scared, his demeanor didn't betray it. Annabeth stepped forward and drew her knife. She looked Thalia in the eyes.

"Ready or not, we have to go," Annabeth said, voicing all of their thoughts.

Staring at the demigods, Thalia saw a troop of seasoned warriors. And she also saw a group of kids. Because that's what they were, really—kids. Percy and Annabeth were seven, for gods' sake. Even her and Luke, no matter many times she tried to deny it—they were kids, too. Kids who should be attending school. Kids whose biggest worry should be what they were going to see at the movies. Okay, maybe that was a stretch for them. But they shouldn't be kids that had to fight for every second of their lives.

_Maybe this is a chance to change our lives_, she thought. That empowered her. This was going to be their final fight, their last stand. She would either secure some semblance of a normal life for herself and her friends, or die trying. She tapped her Aegis bracelet and whispered its name, and the shield came to life in front of her.

"Let's go," she said, and kicked open the door.

As the group left the corridor and stepped into Montauk, the change in the atmosphere was immediately noticeable. It was like they were in a twilight zone. It was pouring rain and lightning was flashing across the sky, but the clouds were deeply red. The trees surrounding them looked like they had been sapped of life. It didn't take a satyr's nose to tell them that there was a legion of monsters in the area. A legion of monsters that wanted to kill them.

Grover sniffed the air. "They're still behind us," he said in astonishment. "They aren't between us and camp. But…" He smelled the air again. "They're gaining, fast. We've got to run."

He didn't need to tell them twice. He began running towards a clearing in the distance, and the group took off, sprinting after him. When they reached the clearing, Grover took a sharp turn to the right and started running towards a hill.

"We're so close," he said. "That hill's the boundary between camp and the rest of the world."

Annabeth looked back. "Oh Gods," she whispered. Hades' army was in sight, and there were so monsters that the entire field and sky behind them seemed to be painted in black.

Every second they ran, the monsters gained on them. When they finally got to the hill, the monsters were only a few yards behind them. But suddenly, the monsters stopped, as if held back by an invisible force.

"Thank the gods we reached the borders in time," Grover said. He turned to a hellhound that seemed stuck where it was. "Haha! You can't get in here now!"

It growled at him, lifting a paw, trying to step forward. It looked like it was trying to move through molasses, but Thalia could see that it was making progress. All of the monsters were.

"Grover, why isn't the border keeping them back?" Annabeth shouted.

The satyr paled. "Oh no…there's too many! They're too strong!" The hellhound he had been taunting suddenly lunged, having made it to the other side of the border. A quick blow from Thalia's spear, and it turned to dust.

"You mean the borders can't hold them back? Then we just brought an army of monsters to a defenseless camp!" Luke shouted.

The group of demigods stood along the border—they were now killing monsters left and right. But they couldn't kill the monsters fast enough—they were being surrounded. Grover stood behind the demigods, having a nervous breakdown. Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain became torrential.

Thalia threw her spear into the crowd of monsters that had gathered behind them and screamed. Lightning bolts rained from the sky, homing in on her spear, vaporizing all the monsters in the surrounding area. She ran forward, picking up her spear. She looked at the cabins, before looking back at her friends.

"Grover, take Luke, Percy, and Annabeth to camp," she said, making her way back to the front lines. Her breath was ragged, but calling lightning from the sky had not taken as much out of her as she thought it would.

"No! We aren't leaving you here," Luke yelled.

"We can't fight this off alone," she responded. "You have to go warn the campers, and get Chiron. The monsters are here to kill me, so they won't follow you if I'm still here." Her voice was even, but Luke could see the fear in her eyes. She wasn't planning on surviving this.

He swallowed, knowing what this meant. He couldn't fight her on this—they could get overwhelmed at any point now. Thalia's lightning show had driven off the monsters for the time being, but every second, more monsters were getting through the barrier. "Grover, lead the way," Luke said, voice cracking as he grabbed Annabeth and Percy and pulled them towards camp. But the younger boy shook off his arm, running back to where Thalia was standing.

"I'm staying," Percy said. His green eyes looked as though they'd turned to steel. "I'm a Big Three kid, too. They'll follow you if I go with you. Besides, we have a better chance of making it if the two of us are out here fighting while you guys get help."

There was no time to protest, as another crowd of monsters descended on the group, cutting Thalia and Percy off from the rest of the group. Grover was already pushing Luke and Annabeth toward the cabins.

"Sound the alarm from the center of the cabins" he shouted, motioning towards a large wooden tower that stood near the center of the cabins. "Tell the campers to get ready to fight. I'll get Chiron!"

Luke ran towards the pillar with Annabeth in tow. When they finally reached its base, Luke cursed. There were too many buttons and switches. He had no idea how to set it off. Annabeth pointed at a button. _DO NOT PUSH UNLESS IN CRISIS_, it said. Well, this was a crisis if there ever was one.

Luke slammed his fist against the button, and suddenly, the wooden tower began blaring with noise and lights. The sound of banging pots and roaring sirens spread all over camp. Campers of all ages and sizes started to pour out of the cabins, most wearing their pajamas, some already decked out in battle armor and brandishing weapons. Luke felt his throat close. He didn't know any of these kids, how was he supposed to tell them he just brought an army of monsters to their front door?

Luckily, he didn't have to. A hunter's horn sounded from the distance, and Chiron came galloping over.

"Campers! Hades' army is upon us. Protect the borders at all costs. This is not a drill!" he shouted. There seemed to be an immediate shift within the campers, who had until then been somewhat dazed and confused.

People began shouting, weapons were being distributed, armor being strapped on. Those who had been "on-call"—the ones who had already been decked out in gear, Luke guessed—were assigned to be the first wave of reinforcements. There was a section of campers, all looking to be under the age of ten, who hung back. They were grabbing ranged weapons, like bows and javelins, and some of them were taking control of what looked to be cannons and catapults, pushing them towards the hills. The message was clear—the younger kids, presumably having less training, were to stay away from the front lines. Luke turned to Annabeth.

"Hey, you stay with those kids, okay?" he asked. "Grab a bow, or take control of a catapult."

"No! I can fight just as well as any of the campers. You know that, Luke," Annabeth protested. He knelt placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, I do. But I want you to stay safe. I'm going to go back and fight. I'll try to get Percy and Thalia out of there," he promised. With that, Luke ran to join the battle. He just hoped he'd made it in time.

**Sorry it took so long for me to get out this somewhat short chapter. I've actually written a good 5 more pages than where this chapter ends, but I've realized it has been quite a while since my last update (thanks to the reviewers who kept begging me to update). I decided to split the Battle at Half-blood Hill into two chapters since it was taking so long for me to finish—here's the first half, and sorry for the somewhat cliff-hangerish ending. I'll try to get the second half out to you as soon as possible! I'm about 85% done with it.**


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